IC Insights halves sensor growth forecast

April 07, 2015 //
By Peter Clarke

Market research firm IC Insights Inc. has more than halved the growth it expects to see in the sensors and actuators semiconductor category during 2015 and 2016.

A year ago the firm was forecasting annual growth for the sensor and actuator market of 14, 16 and 17 percent in 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively. It has now reported that the market grew by 6 percent in 2014 and has cut its forecast for 2015 and 2016 to 7 and 9 percent respectively. The optoelectronics semiconductor market has also been cut although only by one or two percentage points.

Nonetheless worldwide sales of optoelectronics, sensors, actuators, and discrete semiconductors regained strength in 2014 and collectively increased 9 percent on an annual basis to reach an all-time high of $63.8 billion after rising just 1 percent in 2012 and 2013.

IC Insights had predicted for 2014 that the optoelectronic semiconductor market would rise by 9 percent, the sensors and actuators market by 14 percent and the discretes market by 6 percent (see MEMS, magnetics set to lead sensor market rebound). It now says that growth in optoelectronics was 8 percent but sensors and actuators only achieved 6 percent (not 14 percent) and the discrete semis turned in 11 percent growth (versus 6 percent forecast). No reasoning was given to explain its rendition of underperformance by the MEMS and image sensors sector or overperformance in the sale of discretes in 2014.

Optoelectronics sales are now forecast to rise 10 percent in 2015 to $34.8 billion (compared with a previous forecast of 12 percent). Sales of sensors and actuators are also expected to strengthen in 2015, rising 7 percent to $9.9 billion (compared with a growth of 16 percent predicted a year ago). The discretes market is forecast to see grow 5 percent in 2015 to stand at annual market size of $24.2 billion (compared with a predicted 8 percent).